BITKOM is once again responsible for organising the eSkills for Jobs campaign in Germany. As an organisation representing companies in digital sector, BITKOM is harnessing the vast network of STEM-related initiatives in Germany to communicate the connection between eSkills, job opportunities and economic success.

To find out more about eSkills initiatives in your country, including information about jobs and training opportunities, please visit the national website:

"It's about securing and extending digital participation and sustainability for each and everyone. Digitization will only succeed if it creates new individual opportunities and a growing confidence that peoples lives will professionally and personally improve." Thorsten Dirks, President Bitkom CEO und Chairman of the Board Telefónica Deutschland Holding AG

Digital skills play an important role in the national education policy. The Coalition Agreement (November 2013), which describes the main lines of work of the federal government emphasizes the importance of broad-based digital literacy and also calls decidedly a modern computer science lessons already in primary education. BITKOM supports this aspect of bilateral talks with the state governments responsible for general education.

Facts & Figures for selected areas:

1. School: Virtually all schools have Internet-enabled classrooms and a basic digital equipment. But the use lags behind the possibilities, 40% of all teachers with no previous training in the field of digital media in recent years.

2. Vocational Training: The dual IT occupations are a central component of the junior staff security. 2014 is the number of IT trainees in total around 41,000. Nearly 200,000 graduates of IT professions have been trained since the late 90s.

3. University: in 2013 was attended by some 33,000 young people in Germany on a computer science degree. Which is an increase of 10,000 compared to the year 2003. However, problems are the high dropout rate (approx. 50%) and the low proportion of women (25% of first-year students).

4. Labour Market: The ICT labor market is a job machine. 2014 around 928,000 people employed in the ICT sector, 2009 there were only 835,000. The skills shortage is currently estimated by BITKOM with 35,000 vacancies.

For the digital economy, the Federal Government presented a "Digital Agenda". In the field of education and training are particularly addressed:

Strengthening of digital media literacy for all generations

The development of a "digital learning strategy" as part of a multi-stakeholder approach in which the entire life course is considered warden.

Under the National IT Summit training issues are addressed vertärkt. Based on initiatives around the theme "Industry 4.0" (eg Academy Cub) is currently preparing a "qualification initiative". In the long term it is about IT-related competencies in the entire width of the vocational education and training.

Last but not least in 2015 the "Year of the digital society" (as part of the funded by the Education and Science Ministry Science Years). With numerous events the general public is made aware of opportunities and prospects of digital life and education worlds. Including the project "Everyone can be programmed. Start Coding "IT skills are promoted in the strict sense!.